Seizures still afflicting baby with cracked skull; MRI scheduled

The 5-month-old son whose skull was cracked last week after his father allegedly threw him on the floor in anger remains in critical condition on Wednesday, according to authorities.

Hanahan Police Lieutenant Michael Fowler said the baby boy, who has bleeding and swelling on his brain, was still suffering seizures and is scheduled to undergo an MRI.

The child was removed from the Intensive Care Unit at Medical University of South Carolina earlier this week.

The boy's father, 23-year-old Derek Allan Stilson, admitted to investigators earlier this week he angrily threw the baby on the floor because he could not get him to stop crying, an affidavit states.

The court documents state Stilson said he threw his baby son on the floor on Feb. 19, and then waited two days to call EMS, when he noticed the child was "not acting normal."

"I don't know how this...I've never seen this before," Stilson is heard on a 911 audio tape talking to emergency personnel. "Are they going to take him to the hospital or something?"

The incident happened at an apartment unit at 5820 Murray Drive.

Stilson's son was taken to MUSC by EMS last Thursday after the suspect told the baby's mother the child rolled over and started suffering from stroke-like symptoms.

When doctors at the hospital examined the baby, they discovered his skull was fractured and there was bleeding and swelling on his brain.

Stilson later told authorities what really happened, according to court documents.

"[Derek] works hard. He works a lot of hours and he told me that he was exhausted and he was stressed," said Stilson's stepfather, Joel Vaughan, who lives in New Mexico. "But he wouldn't do anything like this to his son."

Vaughan said Stilson is not a violent person and does not have violent tendencies.

"Derek is not a violent person," Vaughan said. "He is a good honorable boy. He works hard and he cares for his family."

Stilson is being held in the Hill-Finklea Detention Center under a $250,000 bond. He is charged with inflicting great bodily harm upon a child.